The Right Ranger (The Men of at Ease Ranch)

by Donna Michaels

  “Since you were being tight-lipped, I thought we needed to get the scoop from someone who knew what really went on at the ranch,” Brick said, his gaze not in the least apologetic.

  Bastard.

  “It’s none of our business,” he growled, not comfortable about gossiping.

  “You’re wrong.” Brick folded his arms across his chest and dared him to comment. “Haley is our business. You are our business, and since the two of you are fucking up a real shot at happiness, you’re not leaving us a whole lot of choice.”

  “I’m not a fan of nattering, but there are things I think you need to know,” Pete said, his gaze serious and mouth grim. “Ever since Haley inherited the ranch, her life has changed. She found a purpose. Found her home. She didn’t want to travel and wander anymore. That’s why she gave up her job with that blog.”

  “And Drew wasn’t happy,” Leo said.

  Pete shook his head. “No, he wasn’t. He tried to make her sell the place, but she refused, insisting he was gone half the time, anyway. She tried to make their marriage work. She dropped everything when he was home. But Drew was going through the money like water, spending it on one trip after another, until she was in financial trouble.”

  Anger rose swift in Cord. That must’ve been when she’d had to sell her horse. And then the rest of the horses.

  “Finally, she put her foot down again and stopped going. He didn’t.” The older man sighed and shook his head. “Then the cheating started. So she filed for divorce, but he wouldn’t sign. Kept putting it off, shredding the documents, coming up with excuse after excuse, angry that she didn’t understand. He didn’t want a divorce. He wanted her back, but I think the damage was too severe.”

  Trust was broken. Once that happened, it was hard to get it back. Hard as hell to take a chance again…

  Pete drew in a breath and shook his head. “I wish I didn’t have to say more, but I love Haley like my own daughter, just as her uncle had, and I don’t want you thinking badly of her.” The man turned his attention on him. “And if she’s fallen for you, Cord, you need to know the whole truth so you can fix whatever you’ve done.”

  He nodded as his twisted insides tightened further.

  “What’s the rest?” Stone asked.

  “After he died, and the death benefit was paid out, she only received half.” Pete’s voice trailed off after dropping that bombshell.

  “Who got the other half?” he asked, already knowing he wasn’t going to like the answer. Drew’s parents were dead and he’d had no siblings.

  Pete’s gaze snapped to him. “His son.”

  Fuck. He tried to draw in a breath, but it was no use. Not with the fist-sized lump lodged in his throat.

  “What?”

  “He had a son?”

  “With who?”

  Pete nodded to the men all speaking at once again. “Some girl he met on one of those adventures, I guess.”

  Son-of-a-bitch. Cord leaned back against the stall as the world tilted. Now he got it. Now he understood Drew’s last words. Yes, Haley sure as hell had deserved a hell of a lot better. And dammit, he’d gone and hurt the woman, too.

  Cord closed his eyes, reeling as all of it fell into place, and he stood out as a number one jackass. Somehow, after all the pain Drew had caused, she’d managed to find it in her to trust him, not only with her body, but with her heart. He’d seen it in her eyes. Felt it in her touch, and he’d blown it by walking out on her—just like Drew.

  Damn. He opened his eyes and muttered a curse. What had he done?

  “How could he have been such an idiot?” Vince frowned, anger darkening the Italian’s face. A rarity, and something one did not want to mess with if they were smart.

  “God only knows,” Pete said. He turned to Cord. “So, now that you know everything, what’s your plan to win her back?”

  Turn back time. Because he wasn’t sure he could fix things without removing his words, his stupid distrust from the other day.

  “Hey,” Brick said. “Stone and I both thought we’d fucked up too bad to fix things, but we managed. I’m sure you can, too.”

  Stone shook his head. “Unfortunately, Haley’s a lot like him. Stubborn.”

  Yeah, he knew. He ran a hand through his hair again, trying to figure out a solution.

  How do you fix trust?

  “Apologize,” Leo said. “It might not fix everything, but it’ll get the conversation started and give you an opening to make her see you’re sorry.”

  “And tell her you love her,” Brick added. “You do, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” he admitted without hesitation. “I have for years.”

  Vince rolled his eyes. “’Bout fucking time you realized that, Warlock.”

  He snorted. “Yeah. But it’s too late.”

  “No, never too late,” Stone insisted. “So what, exactly, happened?”

  With a sigh, Cord gave in and recanted his idiocy.

  Brick grimaced. “I hate to admit it, but I would’ve jumped to that conclusion, too.”

  “Me, too,” Stone said. “We were Rangers for years, Cord. You don’t just turn that off. Of course our minds would automatically think of our team. That’s how we survived. That said…damn, man, you were an idiot.”

  He choked out a laugh at the understatement of the decade. He was an idiot. An idiot who was in love with a sweet woman who deserved better. Who deserved someone who loved her unconditionally. Someone who gave without wanting in return. Someone who would fulfill her every need, dream, fantasy, desire.

  For a while there, he had been those things to her. Now, he had to find a way to do it again. To give her everything. To make up for fucking walking out on her.

  He stilled as several thoughts occurred.

  Everything. That’s what he was going to give her.

  He pushed from the wall and turned to face Pete. “I need your help.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The day of the grand opening of Haley’s Haven arrived with the sun shining brightly in a cloudless sky. The vendors were all set up and ready to go under tents that lined her front yard. Vince was even there with free cannoli, but none of it held the same appeal as it had last week.

  As much as she hated to admit it, Haley felt…broken. Shattered. Like she’d never be whole again. Drew’s infidelity had devastated her, but it never ripped her apart. Not like Cord’s… God, she didn’t even know what to call what he’d done.

  His mistrust? And the fact he’d—

  No. She wasn’t going there again. Wasn’t going to linger in that hell that had no answers.

  But she knew why it had hurt. She knew why it was hell. She’d fallen in love with the man. And it sucked that she’d realized too late.

  Somehow, she was going to put on her game face and make it a good day. Eventually she’d get her smile back. Her love for the ranch. It would all resurface. It had to, otherwise…

  Nope. She wasn’t going there, either. No more otherwises. And before she could change her mind, she walked over to Beth and Jovy, who were enjoying Vince’s dessert without her. Time to change that, too.

  “Ah, there’s the woman of the hour.” Vince grinned, holding out a cannoli. “I can’t believe you’ve passed them up three times already. There’s nothing wrong with them, is there?” He turned the plate around to examine his creation.

  She grabbed the plate and gave him one of her smiles. Although her favorite dessert in the world currently tasted like cardboard, she moaned and gave it a thumbs-up.

  Everything she’d eaten that week tasted like cardboard, so she figured she wasn’t really lying to him with her approval.

  “Well, it looks like your day is already a success,” Jovy observed, nodding toward the crowd and the line of horses Brick, Stone, and Leo, along with a few of the veteran candidates they had in mind for permanent work, were sweet enough to volunteer to register. The guys wanted to take care of that part of the business today so they could watch the candidates in
action.

  Since she had all the enthusiasm of a rock, she’d agreed.

  It was times like these she really missed Gypsy. All week, Haley had needed her horse’s company. Galloping across the field at breakneck speeds, wind in her hair, sun beating down. Her chest tightened at that loss. Someday, she would own a horse again.

  “I saw the plans for your cabins,” Vince said, breaking into her thoughts. “I think they’re a great idea. And the fact you hired vets to build them is a wonderful thing, too.”

  She smiled, this one more genuine, since she was happy to finally put Drew’s money to good use. Not that she’d needed his approval, but knowing the money representing his loss of life—which was how her two smart friends, Beth and Jovy, had told her to look at it—was used to help other veterans, somehow made the endeavor sweeter.

  “Haley, girl,” Pete said, from behind her.

  “Pete!” She gasped and turned to hug her dear friend, careful not to knock him down. “How are you?”

  “Going stir crazy,” he grumbled. “Still have at least two more damn months to go before they’ll even consider taking this cast off.”

  She reached out to set a hand on his arm. “Well, just do what they say. I want you better and back here where you belong.”

  “You sure you’re going to need me?”

  She reeled back. “Of course I will. I’ll always need you. You’re family.”

  His eyes grew a little misty at that.

  “So, what do you think about the turnout?” she asked, changing the subject for him. She knew he didn’t like to get too mushy.

  Kind of like another hardheaded man she knew.

  Her hollow insides compressed, and it felt like her chest was about to cave in on itself. She inhaled deep to fill the empty space with air. Despite the fact he’d hurt her, she’d missed the jerk so damn much. God, she was an idiot for it, too. But she did miss him.

  Since Monday evening, she’d replayed that whole fiasco over and over, and she had to admit, some of it was her fault. If she had been upfront with the guys when they’d first retired and dropped by to fix up the ranch, then perhaps some of this could’ve been avoided.

  Still didn’t change the fact he never told you about Drew cheating, her mind insisted, as it had all week.

  But she wasn’t his concern. Drew was.

  And that was also true.

  So, round and round, those thoughts chased each other until she was too exhausted to think.

  Unfortunately, she could still feel.

  “Looks like you have yet another customer.” Vince’s gaze twinkled as he nodded behind her.

  This would make lucky number thirteen if she had her count correct. Turning around to watch the check-in process, she sucked in a breath as all the air on earth vanished the instant Cord climbed out of his truck.

  Oh God. Why was he here? And with a horse trailer, no less.

  He couldn’t possibly think boarding his horse here was a good idea. At-Ease was a great place for it. Besides, she didn’t want his horse here. Correction. She didn’t want him here.

  Her mind raced to figure out a way to refuse him service, but she knew she couldn’t do it in front of all his friends. Or even strangers.

  Why was he putting her in this position?

  The urge to flee was so strong her body vibrated. As if reading her mind or body language or whatever the hell Warlock used, he stepped in front of her, using his big, sexy body to block her escape.

  “Haley.” His voice was low and his gaze remorseful, and dammit, it still managed to send goose bumps over her skin.

  She wanted to ask him what he was doing there. No. She wanted to ask him to leave. But her stupid throat was tight and burning because just looking at him made her ache.

  “I’m so damn sorry,” he said, the rigid line of his shoulders matching the tightness around his mouth and eyes.

  Her heart cracked open for him, and that pissed her off. All week it had been shriveled up tight…because of him.

  She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t stand there and pretend to have a conversation with him. Dragging in a lungful of air, she stepped backward, planning to escape around the crowd, but she hit a brick wall. Spinning, she noted that was exactly who she’d hit. Brick. Vince was there with Pete, too. Surrounding her. Jovy, Beth, and Stone rounded out the traitors rallying around Cord.

  Okay, she could forgive Beth—he was her brother. But the rest? Damn them. She was outnumbered. Outmaneuvered, and God, she was tired. So freaking tired.

  “I’m a Ranger, Haley,” Cord continued. “Doesn’t matter that I’m no longer active duty. With training ingrained in me to have my team member’s backs, it never goes away. That’s why my mind immediately shot to them when I first saw the date on your divorce papers.”

  Okay. The date thing was a problem. She understood his concern. She turned back to him. “It’s the fact you thought I’d do that to all of you that hurts. It hurts bad.”

  Her voice wobbled. Dammit.

  He clenched his jaw and his fists, and she got the impression he wanted to hold her.

  Oh hell no. She couldn’t take that.

  “I’m sorry about that, too. I realized how wrong I was once my head cleared, along with my stupidity.”

  “Sometimes that takes a while,” Beth interjected. “Brick gets that way, too.”

  “And Stone,” Jovy added, much to their men’s grumbles.

  Haley knew it was an alpha male thing. But five whole days had gone by without so much as a call or text or…token cannoli. All of those would’ve gone a long way to breaking her down. Instead, she got what he was good at. Silence.

  Well, she deserved more than that. She deserved—

  “My heart,” he said, as if reading her mind. “I buried it. Packed it away with no intention of ever letting it see the light of day. I had my family to worry about. That was enough. And then you come along with your sweet, genuine smile and shook it loose. You’ve always ruled my heart with that smile of yours, Haley. I used to think Drew was the luckiest bastard in the world, and I hadn’t realized how right I was until I was the luckiest bastard.”

  Oh damn. That was good. She sniffed. “Go on.”

  A small twinge tugged the corner of his mouth. “And then I hurt you, too. And I’m so damn sorry, Haley. If I could go back and do it over I would, although I’m an ass and would probably mess it up twice. So I’d prefer to own up to my mistake and beg your forgiveness with the promise I’ll make it up to you for the rest of your life.”

  Well hell.

  She blinked. And sniffed. That was good, too. “Who are you and what have you done with Cord?”

  His mouth twitched into a smile. “You happened, Haley. You and your unselfish caring and giving ways. It made me want to be better. Made me want to be all the things I saw in your eyes. And yet I failed you.”

  She drew in a breath and decided to lay it out there. Tell him why it was so hard to let go of her hurt. “Do you know where you failed?”

  “Everywhere.”

  “No. It’s the fact you knew.” She shook her head and swiped at the tears that escaped down her cheeks. “You had Drew’s back. I understand he was your teammate, but I thought I was your friend, too. It was the fact you knew about his infidelity, Cord. You knew and never told me.”

  He shook his head and stepped close. “I didn’t tell you because I had no idea you knew, or that you were getting a divorce. I didn’t want to tarnish his memory for you.”

  “Isn’t that why you never told them about the divorce, or cheating, or his son, Haley?” Pete asked quietly.

  She sucked in a breath, and because it felt like the ground was opening up underneath her, she reached out and grasped the nearest thing. Vince. She gripped his arm tight as she confronted Pete. “You told them about his son?”

  “Yes,” Pete replied, and his betrayal caught her by surprise. She knew he’d done it out of love, but right now, she was too raw to process it. “They know everythi
ng, and you’ve gotten some things wrong. Please hear him out.”

  Cord took a deep breath and looked her dead in the eye. “The day I found out about Drew’s cheating was the day of our last mission.”

  Her heart rocked. He hadn’t known for months?

  “I threatened him,” he admitted, guilt deepening his tone.

  That somehow made her feel better…and worse. Guilt was such a heavy thing to carry. She knew it firsthand.

  “What kind of threat?” she asked, finding it hard to comprehend, and yet, she could see the honesty and conviction in his eyes.

  “I told him when the mission was over he was calling you to confess, and if he didn’t, I would. But he never got the chance, and since you already knew, it probably wouldn’t have meant anything.”

  That was where he was wrong. And now she was beginning to see she’d had it all wrong, too. God. He’d had her back. “You were going to make him call me?”

  He nodded, anger from that memory still lingered in his eyes. “I was so pissed at him. He was the luckiest man I knew and he was throwing it all away. He had you. He had everything.”

  “Damn.” She inhaled and the tears dripped once again. “That was really, really good.” She released Vince and took a step toward Cord. “You only found out that day?”

  “Yes.”

  She stepped closer. “You think I’m everything?”

  “Haley.” He reached out to cup her face, and his eyes softened. The sheer force of emotion in his gaze made her knees wobble. “I know you’re everything.”

  The last of her pain disappeared under the honesty in his eyes and those beautiful words that bared his heart and soul.

  In front of everyone.

  Her Warlock didn’t hold back. He laid it all out there. Fought for her. Made her see she’d had it wrong.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “So sorry. I thought you knew for years.”

  “No. Hell no. I’ve loved you for years.”

  She sucked in a breath and tried to see his eyes, but her damn waterworks broke again. “You love me?”

  Still holding her face, he gently kissed them away. “I do,” he said, then brushed her mouth, her tears making his lips taste salty. “Very much.”